This moment:

We've had an enormously challenging week here in Minnesota. But the whole country – indeed the whole world – is feeling it... and truly, it's been a mounting pressure for a long, long time.

To me, what's unique about this moment is that most of us are now at our breaking points. Earlier today, when I was driving home here in Minnesota, I hyperventilated on the highway (a new experience for me) when I was followed for a short while by a high-speed law enforcement vehicle. Nothing actually occurred but emotionally, I was a gasping wreck. One reason this triggered me was because I recently had an aggressive encounter with police where my presence in this state, my home state, was questioned and scrutinized. The other, bigger reason is that nearly every one of us is now experiencing what our most marginalized communities have faced for decades – a total absence of safety and security. 

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I wrote this song to calm my frazzled nerves. I wrote this song to pierce through my numb fog. And I wrote this song to feel less isolated. Today, I've been sending it around to my community, and if you are on this page downloading the PDFs, then you, too, are part of my community... even if we've never met :) 

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Sing it as "written," add your own words, improvise harmonies, keep it a cappella or add your instrumental friends. Create with it in ways I haven't even imagined. Share it as widely as you'd like. I'd love to hear from you if it's meant something to you.

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In community and in solidarity,

Shruthi Rajasekar

January 10, 2026

Minnesota, USA

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